June 6

A jailhouse search after the Muslim/Bloods prison riot uncovered 80 weapons.

At a hearing late today Keith Ray, 37, of the 4000 block of Rexmere Road, pled guilty to a total of 13 counts of armed carjacking, armed robbery and related charges. Judge Wanda K. Heard sentenced Ray to a total of 50 years in prison. Ray was responsible for several robberies and carjackings over a two month period in June and July 2006. Ray's crime spree galvanized the neighborhoods where they took place and many victims cooperated with law enforcement. The teamwork of community, police and prosecutors resulted in many victims willing to testify against Ray if this case had gone to trial. Many were present in court this afternoon to offer victim impact statements.

A cabbie was shot and killed in Charles Village last night during a road rage incident.

Luke Broadwater and the Examiner look back at the deadliest month of the year (so far).

Twelve murders and a bunch of updates in this week's "Murder Ink," and the updated map.

Gus G. Sentementes interviews the parents of the four-year-old boy who was hit by a stray bullet yesterday afternoon in the 2200 block of Corona Ct. in the Northeastern.

The 30-year-old who was killed in "CHUM" yesterday morning has been identified as Tyrone Willie Bonner.

An 18-year-old woman was stabbed by three other women on Sunday night as she was walking to a friend's house in Edgewood.

A house that burned in Dundalk yesterday is owned by a man who was shot by his wife's alleged boyfriend.

A 16-year-old in St. Mary's offered a free pickup truck to anyone who would kill his mother and stepfather.

Jacqueline Simmons is charged with a hit-and-run that injured three children and a teenager at a Charles County school bus stop. Simmons claimed she was on her way to a methadone clinic.

You've gotta love these multi-page editions of the Blotter:

• Page 1: two drug arrests at Lafayette Market and a 35-year-old man who was shot while sitting on a stoop in the Eastern.
• Page 2: A double shooting in the Northwestern, a carjacking and a shooting in the Southern, two separate shootings in the Southwestern, a stabbing and a shooting in the Western, and a 60-year-old woman robbed in the Southern.
• Page 3: A 17-year-old was thrown to the ground and robbed in Essex, and Dunkin Donuts was robbed in Cockeysville.

And that's just a small fraction of what Richard Irwin covered for us today.

Due to an error by a federal judge in Baltimore, Solomon Levi Jones got his drug conspiracy sentence reduced from from 60 years to about 21 years.

Despite his dependence on heroin and a felonious mother, David Burton got 70 years for stabbing Denny's manager Michael Fredrick 32 times during a robbery last year.

Hey, Lenny: More homicide investigators might help close more homicide cases.

A headline in the Sun plays on fears about MS-13 in Maryland, but one sentence at the end of the article paints a slightly different picture: "A recent estimate by Baltimore police put the number of known or suspected gang members at 2,600, including 400 Bloods, 100 Crips and a few dozen members of MS-13."

Looks like there are a bunch of future city politicians employed by the city school system.

June 5

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Deontae Carter, 23, of the 2800 block of Violet Avenue today on first-degree murder and other charges. On April 6, 2006 Deontae Carter was identified as the person responsible for a shooting incident in the 2000 block of North Longwood Street. Curtis Mitchell, 19, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a rowhouse in the unit block. Mitchell died later the same day from his injuries at University of Maryland Shock Trauma. llegedly on May 6, 2006 an investigation revealed the handgun retrieved from the defendant on an unrelated handgun charge matched the gun used in the shooting incident of Curtis Mitchell. An arraignment is scheduled for July 12, 2007 before Judge Wanda K. Heard, Room 550, Courthouse East. Assistant State’s Attorney Don Giblin will prosecute this case.

“Baby girl, I’ll bring my hose out front so you can spray it off. ”
... Anger Hangover reports on a girl shot in the leg last Friday night in Pigtown. Plus an update.

Capt'n Mike Perry hovers above where a four-year-old was shot in the leg and police are seeking a suspect around the 2200 block of Corona Court near the NE county line.

A 30-year-old man was fatally shot and died at 12:33 this morning in the 1700 block of E. 30 St. in the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello ("CHUM") neighborhood.

Police and family fear that Shirley Cooper (who, they say, was 72, not 78, and lived "in the historic Temple Gardens apartment building at 2601 Madison Avenue," not Madison Street) was stabbed to death by someone she knew.

Blotterania:

• "Police identified yesterday John Drew, 26, of the 2400 block of W. Lexington St., as the man shot about 1 a.m. May 30 near his home by an unknown gunman."
• A Dundalker was stabbed in the stomach
• County drunks assaulted an officer at Mother's Grille
• A 14-year-old boy was hit on the head with a bottle
...and lots of robbery, burglary and theft

The Sun has a local crime story on the front page: "Death on the Streets" about the 2006 UCR numbers. Also, Dixon's floundering plans, and what other candidates have to say about the "crime issue."

Dept of Irony: "The Postponement Subcommittee" gets 'er done!

... Newsflash...Scooter Libby just got 2 1/2 years in jail for his role in outing spy Valerie Plame.
The Post's story includes an entertaining sidebar of other high-level government-official sentences for bilking, lying and obstructing.

June 5

Many of the 41 Sun employees who took the most recent buyout enjoyed their last day Friday and have now left the building; more layoffs are possible.

A Wicomico County Grand Jury on Monday indicted Tracy Ross Sparpaglione, a recently fired Salisbury police officer accused of raping a woman he arrested late last month.

June 4

At a hearing today, Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Simmeon Anderson, 31, of the 2800 block of Hollins Ferry Road, to a total of 50 years in prison: 25 years for first-degree assault, 20 for use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and five without parole for being a felon in possession of a handgun. Judge Themelis also sentenced Anderson to a concurrent six-year prison term for solicitation to commit murder. On March 23, 2007 a Baltimore City jury convicted Anderson of two counts of first degree assault, two counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count each of felon in possession of a handgun and wear/carry/transport a handgun. Anderson pled guilty March 26, 2007 to solicitation to commit murder. On September 12, 2000 Anderson pulled Derrick and his aunt Lisa Kittrell out of a vehicle in the 1600 block of Olmstead Street and shot Derrick Kittrell, Lisa Kittrell, was not harmed. This case was tried once before, in 2004, and a mistrial was declared. It has been postponed 27 times until last March’s trial and was the oldest pending trial in Baltimore Circuit Court.

The BCGJ indicted Kennis Lambert, 17, of the 6200 block of Alumure Way for first-degree murder, court documents allege on April 29, 2007 Lambert was identified as the person responsible for a shooting incident in the 6200 block of Elliott Street. Azerwoine Walker, 30, was found suffering from a gunshot wound and transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, he died later the same day of his injuries [#88]. An arraignment is scheduled for July 2, 2007 before Judge Glynn.

Curtis Alexander, 28, was found shot in the 1900 block of W. Lanvale St. about 10 a.m. Sunday by a Western District police officer responding to a report of shots fired.

Judge John M. Glynn sentenced Dale Fauntleroy, 22, of the 2500 block of Woodbrook Ave. to 35 years in prison, 20 years for conspiracy to commit robbery and a consecutive 15 years in prison for armed robbery. A Baltimore City jury convicted Fauntleroy February 1, 2007 of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon. Judge Glynn gave him the maximum possible prison term today. On January 9, 2006 a City jury acquitted Fauntleroy of armed robbery and handgun counts and hung on the remaining counts that prosecutors retried in February. On October 29, 2004 Fauntleroy attempted to rob an off-duty Mass Transit Police Officer with an unknown caliber handgun while they were both inside a Chinese Food Carry-Out in the 2700 block of Pennsylvania Ave. Police shot Fauntleroy twice as he fled the robbery scene.

"A police search of a common hiding place for drugs -- between the cheeks of the buttocks -- needs to be done as privately as possible to be considered legal, even if a suspect is wearing very low-hanging pants, said the CSA in a ruling that invalidated a search of a Fallston man "done in the presence of his friends at a deserted car wash."

Speaking of ... things transportational, MO'M Marcus L. Brown, formerly Hamm's #2, says he's pumped to patrol 83, as commanded by his arm patch.

Ew, County police arrested the already-registered-sex-offender at right for raping a 12-year-old on a camping trip near Bengie's Drive-In.

Thanks to Galt for posting the latest FBI numbers. It's official, our population went down ... but murders and car thefts went up!

June 3

Shirley Cooper, 72, was found stabbed to death yesterday in her apartment in the 2600 block of Madison Ave near Druid Hill Park.

David Elijah Washington was fatally shot early Saturday morning in an alley near his home on Violet Ave.

A man was critically injured in a triple shooting in the 2100 block of Sherwood Ave. in the Northeast on Friday afternoon. Homicide detectives are investigating.

Jada Gordon, 1, and Jerrell Wise, 3, who'd been missing from Cherry Hill since Wednesday have been found, but police are still looking for Tyronda Smith-Carroll, the 14-year-old girl who was taking care of them when they were reported missing.

Crime scene video from the stabbing of 57-year-old Karen Harris, who was stabbed in the back last Sunday afternoon during a robbery in the 2600 block of St. Paul St. in Charles Village. George T. Dyson was charged in the attack; he was charged with a similar attack in 2004, but did not serve time because of a mental disorder that prevented him from being found criminally responsible.

Gary Singley, age 40, of Baltimore was sentenced Friday to 167 months (almost 14 years) in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. "A cooperator in the case purchased more than 50 grams of crack cocaine from Singley through Keith Richardson ... Richardson pleaded guilty to drug charges and was sentenced to over 10 years in prison [in] 2005."

PGC MS-13 member Edgar Alberto Ayala got 35 years for racketeering.

The fight at the Metropolitan Transition Center was apparently between two rival gangs. Fortunately, the situation was not a riot, because a "riot is when you lose control of a prison."

Completely unrelated to the story above, two Jessup inmates attacked each other with homemade knives on Saturday. Meanwhile, all prison classes on making homemade knives have been temporarily suspended.

Related to the above story, there's a neat timeline detailing the history of violence at the Maryland Pen.

Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Cavanaugh, as quoted during the double murder trial of "Six" Sowers: "With all due respect, ma'am, a mistake is when you miscount your change, not when you murder two people." Sowers got 100 years.

Two students -- one of them a 16-year-old freshman -- at Milford Mill Academy beat and tried to rob a 15-year-old student.

Racist arsonists (or maybe arsonist racists?) destroyed a portable classroom at Perryville High School on Friday morning.

Murderous perv du jour: Frank Portanova allegedly tried to hire a hit man to kill the 11-year-old boy he allegedly molested. The boy's mother was targeted also.

James Abu Bangura and Dartanion Antwon Wallace got a bunch of prison time for robbing a bunch of banks.

A panel has found that two fire department officials should be canned for mistakes that contributed to the February death of trainee Rachael Wilson.

Gregory Kane seems to think wannabe HoCo escapee Brandon T. Morris is a bit short-sighted.

June 1

At least seven 18 people were stabbed at the jail on Forrest Street.

Federal prosecutors are furious about www.whosarat.com.

Hamm: "We understand now we need help.” Transportation authority and transit administration police will patrol part of 295, and Hamm hopes state police will patrol the city's four-mile stretch of 83.

Sobering stats: "Baltimore may still be losing population, but one group of people floods the city each year: Ex-offenders. About 8,600 of them ... That’s more than 1 percent of the city’s population."

Duane Tyvon Elkerson, 29, of the 7100 block of Burford Court, pled guilty to second-degree murder and attempted first degree-murder; Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Elkerson to 25 years in prison, the entire first five of which must be served without parole. On July 20, 2006 Elkerson shot Antonio Alford, 22, in the 5500 block of Hadden Avenue. He later died of his injuries at Sinai Hospital. A second victim was also shot but survived his injuries.

Sean Graham of Rockville was convicted of participating in killing a group-home counselor and stuffing his body in a closet in Utah at the tender age of 17.

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Juanita Robinson, 27, of the 800 block of Bradhurst Road for first-degree murder. Court documents allege Juanita Robinson shot Andre McBride, 21, in the head in the 6600 Knottwood Court [#73] and that she is/was the victim’s girlfriend and the last person seen with him before the shooting incident. McBride died at Sinai hospital on March 31, 2007.

The BCGJ also indicted Damon Simpson, 16, of the 2800 block of W. Lafayette Street for first-degree murder and other charges. Court documents allege Damon Simpson is the suspect responsible for shooting Charles Hargrove [#65] multiple times in the 2600 block of Rayner Avenue, leading to his death on March 20, 2007.

Shocking Taser Deaths-- Law-enforcement sources told the Post that Marcus D. Skinner, who was electrocuted by tasers in PGC six days ago, was handcuffed while cops zapped him.
A Taser was also cited as a contributing factor in the death of Ryan Lee Meyers, who died March 18 after being stunned in the County, plus at least two other deaths in the state this year.

Neil B. Rather, 18, of the 2900 block of Garrison Blvd. was ID'd as the teenager fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the 3400 block of Clifton Ave., plus, is "cutting" the new "stabbing"? in today's Blotter.

Brandon T. Morris, "accused of killing a correctional officer, kidnapping a hospital visitor and carjacking a taxi driver" caused a ruckus when he jumped out of his chair yesterday.

Animal control officials say there's been an increase in dogfighting, Sun rings words "culture," "sport" with quotemarks

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Lawrence Daniels just may be MD's only judge who lives in the courthouse.

Three Perverts
Case dismissed? Not for teacher: Kirsten Ann Kinley/ Kinely of HoCo was indicted and charged with sexual solicitation of a 15-year-old boy and third-degree sex offense charges. Whoa and hold up.. that's the second boy she's "been inappropriate" with! Guhross!!

Also foul: 76-year-old Kezia Twinkle(?!) McNeal was arrested in North Point for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl.

And, Navy mechanic Steven Diles, 42, of Annapolis now also has kid-porn charges after feds busted him trying to meet a make-believe 14-year-old he solicited on AIM.

Media
"Dow Jones & Co.'s 125-year history as an independent media company could be nearing an end," the Wally Jay's parent will most likely be sold to News Corp.

Media Landscape Redefined By 24-Second News Cycle

Standard & Poor's has upgraded the city's bond rating!

May 31: Political BS

Stop the presses, now Dixon's planning a plan: a "more focused" partnership between local and state law enforcement agencies. Could she be planning to ask O'Malley for some state troopers?

... frienemy Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is asking for 15 state troopers to help out in the city (baby steps!) and wants to spend $2 million of city reserve funds, plus some state cash, to recruit 140 teenagers, Southerners and Puerto Ricans to police positions (yes, that's more than $14k a recruit). (Other Council budget details here.)
The bad news: no mention of raising police pay to be on par with surrounding counties to help retain the recruits.
Fun Fact: City Council President will be ostensibly elected at the Sept. 11 Democratic primary. Rawlings-Blake will be opposed by City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. and political legacy Michael Sarbanes.
Olesker: "These candidates running today are the children of those who struggled through such tough times, and made it their life’s work to relegate it to the past. Maybe voters won’t care about race as much as character ... maybe the new generation of candidates will lead us to such a day." Yeah, maybe! Wait...race? Who's he talking about? Aren't all of the candidiates lightly browned?

MD State Police "Superintendent Colonel" Thomas Hutchins = out!
Hutchins was installed by Ehrlich in 2003 to replace Ed Norris; Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan will replace Hutchins.

A letter from the ever-vivid Frank M. Conaway, Sr: "A river of blood is flowing through the streets of Baltimore. What are Baltimore’s leaders doing to stem the flow? Planting trees."

A stuffed deer head with a gold tooth and a mop on its head that looked like an afro was photo'd at the Station 33 fire house on E. 25th Street, someone then posted the image to a blog, an uproar allegedly thus ensued and someone at the NAACP was alerted, then someone called Mike Schuh, who turned it in to three minutes of your life that you'll never get back!

May 30

The Ink has updates to some cases, details of homicides 100-116.

GGS: "Three men two men were killed in separate incidents last night and early this morning, pushing the pace of homicides in Baltimore to an average of one a day in May."

• 1 a.m. 5/30: unidentified man, 2400 block of W. Lexington St., gunshot wounds to his chest
• 11 p.m. 5/29: unidentified man, 700 block of Denison St., south of Leakin Park ... scratch that


• 3 p.m. 5/29: unidentified man, parking lot at Clifton Avenue and Denison Street, north of Leakin Park

A man was shot in the side in the SW, a carjacking on Orleans on the East side, robbery, burglary, and, for contrast, a vandal driving on lawns in Cockeysville.

Bounty Hunter Blood Shaidon "Don Papa" Blake went on a small road trip after Federal Marshalls picked him up early for his Vegas trial. For whatever reason this put Jessamy's knickers in a megaknot: "she threatened to fly a judge, defense attorney and a prosecutor out to Nevada for a sentencing hearing if the federal agents wouldn't release him to Maryland." Fortunately for the ¢itizens, that won't be ne¢e$$ary. April 13, a

Baltimore jury convicted Shaidon Blake, of California, of second degree murder, Janet Johnson of 2000 block of Cecil Avenue of first degree murder and Jermile Harvey of the 1500 block of Lanvale Street of first degree murder. Each was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2007. Blake faces a maximum sentence of Life plus 30 years, Johnson faces maximum sentence of Life plus Life and Harvey faces Life plus Life.

At 6PM the evening of April 12, 2006, Baltimore City Police were called to the rear alley of the 1900 block of Division Street for a burning body. The investigation determined that the victim was Terrence “Sky” Randolph. Randolph was a member of the Bloods street gang and was killed for messing up the gang’s drug money. The Medical Examiner determined that the victim was strangled, asphyxiated, severely beaten and stabbed 39 times. The victim’s body was then burned. Homicide detectives determined that the murder took place in the basement of 1921 Division Street.

Defendant Shaidon “Don Poppa” Blake is a high ranking Bloods member sent to Baltimore from California to get local members “in line”. This was confirmed in an unrelated police interview of the nephew of prominent west coast rap producer/gangster Suge Knight. Blake told detectives that Baltimore is the heroin capital of the world and that he made over $180,000 selling it on the streets. Witnesses testified that Blake hit the victim with a sledgehammer. The witnesses further testified that co-defendants, Harvey and Johnson, cut the victim repeatedly with a box cutter. The testimony continued and revealed that Harvey retrieved a Ninja sword and that he and Johnson stabbed the victim in the neck twice.

Assistant State’s Attorney Brian M. Fish, of the Homicide Division, prosecuted this case.

PGC: Crazed suicidal son attacked mom with a "samurai" sword, sending her to Shock Trauma. Which reminds us, our juvenile justice system has gone totally Lord of the Flies. Could someone get on that? Thanks...

What Happened in Vegas?

TDR reports that Dixon's MO in Las Vegas was to met with reps from the sporting-goods store REI, and Target, reportedly already set to open a location in Mondawmin. The message = rich people live here:

The city has conducted its own research that often paints a better economic picture of Baltimore. For example, in late 2005, the Downtown Partnership conducted a study that showed that more than 3,100 households within a one-mile radius of downtown earned more than $75,000 per year. That compares to the $29,792 listed as the city’s median household income in 2004 by the U.S. Census.

(Hey, doesn't the picture of the city's booth logo make it look like a rowhouse on fire?)

Speaking of numbers, today's WSJ article about the Subprime Crisis is most appropriate to Baltimore and those who might attempt to escape it:

... beginning in the mid-1990s, the evolution of subprime lending from a local niche business to a global market drastically rearranged lenders' incentives. Instead of putting their own money at risk, mortgage lenders began reselling loans at a profit to Wall Street banks. The bankers, in turn, transformed a large chunk of the subprime loans into highly rated securities, which attracted investors from all over the world by paying a better return than other securities with the same rating. The investors cared much more about the broader qualities of the securities -- things like the average credit score and overall geographic distribution -- than exactly where and to whom the loans were being made.

In turn, the higher rate of homeownership encouraged businesses:

Suddenly, mortgage lenders saw places like [lower Charles Village, the West side, etc.] as attractive targets for new business, because so many families either owned their homes outright or owed much less on their mortgages than their homes were worth.

May 29

Judge Albert J. Matricciani, Jr. sentenced Tony Williams, 39, of the 800 block of Dartmouth Road, to life in prison plus five years this morning. On April 2, 2007 a Baltimore jury convicted Williams of first degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence; Judge Matricciani sentenced Williams to life in prison for the murder count and a consecutive five years in prison for the handgun count. Prosecutors proceeded with a new trial after the Court of Appeals vacated Williams’ 1999 conviction. A Baltimore City jury convicted Williams February 10, 1999 of first degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the death of Dana Rochelle Drake, 33, and Williams began serving a life plus 20 years prison term. On April 14, 2006 the Maryland Court of Appeals vacated Williams’ conviction, citing evidentiary issues regarding a discovery violation under the Brady law. The Court ruled that encompassing or exculpatory information known to any prosecutor in the State’s Attorney’s Office must be turned over to the defense. At issue in this case was a witness who was in jail with the defendant. The trial prosecutor in 1999 did not know, and therefore did not disclose, this witness was at one point in time a paid police informant.

On February 21, 1998 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Williams went to the apartment of Dana Drake, located at 800 Dartmouth Road and shot her once in the back of the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Evidence produced at trial showed Williams had purchased a .22 caliber handgun several weeks prior to this murder and testimony revealed Williams stood to receive $100,000 from a life insurance policy.

An unidentified 27-year-old man was shot to death 1:30 a.m. this morning in the 1600 block of Moreland Ave., just north of Easterwood Park.
(How can it be the 5th murder of the weekend if it's Tuesday?)

A man was shot in the foot, and "yesterday about 10:30 p.m., police said a gunman chased a 17-year-old male into Jemella's Liquors and Cut Rate store in the 1800 block of W. Mosher St., also in West Baltimore. A police spokesman said that as the teen huddled in a corner of the carryout, the gunman shot him in the back and in the back of the head," the victim is alive and in shock trauma.

Two days and 2 1/2 hours ago 19-year-old Davon Williams was shot to death in a minivan in the 5800 block of Waycross Road in Cedona.
"The violence came days after the Dixon administration announced the city would begin offering overtime to specific police units in coming weeks in an effort to halt the violence."
(Boner dept.- The Sun calls Williams' death "the latest in a spate of killings" ... then goes on to report two more-recent murders.)

Domestic violence killing in Middle River: A man with blood on his arms and his shirt stopped an officer about 9:30 a.m. Monday near a shopping center in the 2100 block of Eastern Boulevard; he'd apparently strangled 21-year-old Shukura Akilah Abdullah Aleem and then slashed his own wrists (poorly).

From CBS via reader "Mary" about how St. Tim's alum and CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier, who was seriously injured one year ago by a car bomb in Iraq that killed a cameraman and a soundman, will do a story on how doctors are trained for combat in Iraq at at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where Dozier was treated.

"I'll be doing a story on how "Maryland Shock Trauma is one of the three centers in the country that trains military surgeons, because Baltimore most resembles combat," Dozier said. "Baltimore, L.A., and Miami are the three places that they have these centers, because they have all sorts of trauma that comes through the door."

Stolen stuff in the Southeastern dominates the Blotter.

Brian Johnson, 31 was fatally shot in the 1600 block of Vincent Court in West Baltimore at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Amin Reed, 30, of no fixed address, was pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m. from a shot to the head, and

a homeless man was stabbed to death near city hall on the 200 block of N. Gay St.

In Charles Village, a woman was stabbed in the back repeatedly by a man who was trying to steal her purse at 2600 block of St. Paul St. in front of Margaret Brent Elementary School.

Shootings:
"A 28-year-old man was being treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital for injuries suffered after he was wounded in the lower back by birdshot" and "A 23-year-old man was standing at a bus stop in the 1200 block of W. North Ave. about 2:30 p.m. Friday when an unknown gunman fired several shots"

Politics:

Maybe that Franchot guy could look into Baltimore's mess of a budget, no?

Dixon's campgaign has $1 million.
(See poll below)

Dixon a Millionaire
Which mayorial rival had the best response? Frank Conaway Senior: "She wants to plant flowers, while people are getting their brains blown out." Andre Bundley: “For the last 30 years, big business has been directing the mayor’s agenda exclusively, while the people are being ignore[d]." Jason Williams, mayoral campaign manager for Keiffer Mitchell: "I’d like to know where the money is coming from ... Can someone verify it?"	Frank Conaway Senior Andre Bundley Keiffer Mitchell's guy
	Current Results

Memorial Day

There were Seven Baltimoreans Killed in Iraq since this time last year:
Casey Nash, 22, May 18
Jonathan V. Hamm, 20, West Baltimore, May 17
Jay E. Martin, 29, April 29
Marlon B. Harper, 34
Christopher O. Moudry, 31, October 4, 2006
Dwayne E. Williams, 28, August 26, 2006
Michael J. Potocki, 21, June 26, 2006

So if numbers are what matters... Baltimore really is more tragic. For Baltimoreans.

May 27

Sandtown's St. Gregory the Great collected 15 guns yesterday, several hours after an unidentified man was shot to death around the corner in the 1600 block of Vincent Ct.

14-year-old Keonya Christian-Cannon earns good grades, rarely misses school, has dozens of friends, and spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from a wound caused by a stray bullet.

The body of PG/Bangladeshi real estate agent Samuel D'Costa was found in the basement of his Bowie home, and his burned car was found a few miles away.

MoCo: the CSA recently overturned the conviction of a Rockville defense attorney Patrick J. Smith, found guilty of impersonating a Montgomery County sergeant to intimidate a state witness.

More Stupid Spending

While the city claims to not be able to afford the long-term payroll commitments that staffing the police department requires, Dixon has been able to increase the payroll of the mayor's office by nearly 15 percent since taking office in January.

May 26 Continued

Shaun Clarance Warrick, 23, a former basketball player at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore accused of shooting and/or stabbing three fellow students at off-campus housing communities in April, is in even bigger trouble after skipping a court appearance Friday for assault and burglary.

Fifty-year-old Lucille Thorn got six years in prison for trying to meet a hit man at the Maryland House Rest Area on 95 to arrange the murder of her stepmother, Or as the ABC affiliate in PA would put it, "Greed can be a powerful drug, and it led 49-year-old Lucille Thorn down the abyss of a calculated cold-blooded plot."

Good news for your lungs, bad news for Constellation: "In a major shift, Gov. Martin O'Malley's environmental agency has decided to enforce air pollution rules at coal-fired power plants that were routinely ignored under past administrations."
(Anyone out there tried to go solar with BP or Chesapeake?)

Who knew?: In February and March the U.S. Marshals Service's operation FALCON initiative (a series of large-scale fugitive sweeps) in Baltimore netted 195 offenders for crimes ranging from murder and robbery to sex crimes and narcotics offenses.

Poignant, acid-ravaged toddler celebrates his second (or third?) birthday in the hospital.

May 26

Inmate Lawrence Lannin was indicted for first-degree murder, he's accused of smothering child-killer Richard Spicknall with a rag in the shower at Jessup.

Correctional officer Lt. Perry Brook, 48, was found dead by his 12-year-old grandson in his car under the carport of his home in the 1900 block of Hillen/ Hillenwood Road around 2:30 a.m. last night.

"Violent crime is down citywide, but nowhere more so than in the Northern District. 'The Northern District is leading the city,' said Maj. Michael Pristoop, commander of the Northern District.... There have been 10 murders in the district so far this year, but they don't reflect a real danger to the district because most of the victims had no connection to north Baltimore and the locations of the murders were incidental," said Pristoop's press release.
Some of what has happened in the past 10 days: a man shot in the lower back, armed robbery, burgled perfume, jewelry, cash and so on.

Dixon has a plan: "selective increases in police overtime and the transfer of some surveillance cameras to higher-crime areas."

They Still Have SoWeBo?

Adam Meister, running for Mitchell's seat in the 11th, wrote to say he'll be at SoWeBo on Sunday (among other places). Haven't heard a word about that neighborhood in years... not since the beatdown three years ago! Wonder what fun things to expect this year?

Tony Williams to be Sentenced Tuesday

... A Baltimore City jury had convicted Williams February 10, 1999 of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the death of Dana Rochelle Drake, 33, and Williams began serving a life plus 20 years prison term. On April 14, 2006 the Maryland Court of Appeals vacated Williams' conviction, citing evidentiary issues regarding a discovery violation under the Brady law. The Court ruled that encompassing or exculpatory information known to any prosecutor in the State's Attorney’s Office must be turned over to the defense. At issue in this case was a witness who was in jail with the defendant; the trial prosecutor in 1999 did not know, and therefore did not disclose, this witness was at one point in time a paid police informant.

On February 21, 1998 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Williams went to the apartment of Dana Drake, located at 800 Dartmouth Road and shot her once in the back of the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Evidence produced at trial showed Williams had purchased a .22 caliber handgun several weeks prior to this murder and testimony revealed Williams stood to receive $100,000 from a life insurance policy. Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Rafter of the Homicide Division prosecuted the case.

Writing Not Fighting

Anna Ditkoff is, by a four-to-one margin, leading the pack. This week she takes on her venerable Calvert Street rival, the workhorse of the warehouse...
in this corner, the Dick of the Blotter, Richard Irwin!
Ding Ding...

May 25

Three men were found dead this morning in separate incidents, reports Sentementes, and time will only tell if they all become murders:

• an unidentified man was found fatally stabbed in an alley about 6:25 a.m. in the 4000 block of Belvieu Ave. in Northwest Baltimore's West Arlington neighborhood;


• a man was found shot dead and near a handgun around the corner for a burning house on the 400 block of Mosher St.,;


• a man was found shot in a car in the 1900 block of Hillenwood Road in Northeast Baltimore's Perring Loch neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m.

Annie Linskey's article on our 114 homicides (up 10 from this time last year) is chock full of quotable quotes and nauseating facts. Sheila D. says violent crime is down, Lenny says the BPD is like a cheating husband, and a 13-year-old with a dead father says it's not safe to snitch.

Two episodes of the Blotter today. The first lists a man who was shot in the head in the 3000 block of Spaulding Ave., a Chevy that was riddled with bullets, and a woman who was arrested in the Southeastern for threatening her husband with a knife. The second lists a man who was choked and robbed on Eastern Ave. and a forced-entry robbery in Essex.


The Examiner covers the arrest of editor Frank Keegan.

18-year-old Young Gorilla Family member Eric Tate pleaded guilty to killing rival gang member Anthony Taylor Jr. and his non-gang-affiliated friend, Adrian Holiday, last September.

DNA evidence may support James Owens Jr.'s claim that he didn't murder Colleen Williar 20 years ago, in spite of testimony from a co-defendent that Owens raped and killed the woman while the co-defendent watched and masturbated.

Adrian "Dre" Maldonado was found guilty in HoCo court for fatally stabbing Marvin Walter Harding.

Suicidal drug addict William Earl Horshaw got 7 1/2 years for robbing banks.

Edwin Wright got a long-overdue 25 years.

Doug Gansler is teaching kids about the dangers of the Internet.

Drug treatment costs a whole lot of money.

May 24

Update: one of Tuesday's shooting victims has died.
An account of the Mt. Royal mowdown from "anonymous," promoted from comments:

At some point before on tuesday night before midnight (i think it was around 11:20, but I wasn’t paying attention to the time too closely), 30 to 50 shots rang out at the corner guilford and mt. royal, in front of the rehabbed firehouse, over the course of about fifteen seconds.

Two uninjured assailants fled on foot across the guilford bridge, turned right at Oliver, dumped a handgun in the back of a truck under the copycat building and continued to flee eastward. Multiple witnesses in the copycat building saw this. (a police car with flashing lights was under the JFX, parked, investigating the scene of a motorcycle fatality from the night prior, between 100 and 200 feet from the scene of the shooting).

Police, fire trucks, and paramedics responded to the scene of the shooting approximately 5 to 10 minutes later. While cordoning off the crime scene tending to the wounded, one shot in the head and the other (i think) shot in the back, police received a call from the attendant at the BP station, of two more victims at the corner of St Paul and Mt Royal. It seems, although I’m not sure, that these two victims fled scene of the shooting, and went to the BP station for help).

All told, there were 4 shooting victims. At this point, all were alive. Victims were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma. One victim, shot in the head, has since died.

Police expanded the perimeter of the investigation to include the scene of the shooting, the BP station, the guilford street bridge, under the copycat building and Oliver Street. Police helicopters scoped the area around the copycat for approx. an hour. Police detectives stayed in the area for approx. 2 hours scanning for evidence.

As of now, the police have in their possession the handgun dumped in the back of the truck (whether they have more guns: I don’t know). They do not have the assailants, although they have "promising leads,” which to me sounds like they know who they are. Now it is a matter of catching them and making the case stick.

Psycho stalker Larry Davis got life for trying to blow up his ex-girlfriend's car. And in AAC, Aubrey Mayhew of Churchton has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for strangling his estranged wife with a telephone cord.

Upon his fourth conviction, Naim Dawson, 31, got 17 1/2 federal years for guns-n-drugs.

A federal grand jury has charged Tricia Yoo Matuszak and Min Jae "Mindy" Song of Los Angeles and Yong-Mi Chang of Seoul, South Korea for conspiring to submit false labor certifications and immigration petitions on behalf of aliens applying for visas.

Joseph Monroe Green, Jr., the former manager of a Lutherville branch of Chevy Chase Bank, got 21 months and must pay restitution for stealing from the vault.

Oh no! The editor of the Examiner, Frank J. Keegan, was "arrested last night and charged with pointing a shotgun at his neighbor's family during a dispute over cigarette smoking."

CSA: Prosecutors can use evidence of gang affiliation and expert testimony about gang life to demonstrate a motive.

Now that's odd: the Sun has six paragraphs on a crack-dealing arrest near Dru Hill.

Olesker: "There’s a level of violence in parts of Baltimore that far exceeds anything ... acceptable in a civilized world."

Court of Appeals: one expert's testimony on "sick building syndome" not enough to establish validity.

The tall ship Clipper City, known for pirate-themed sails, sailing brunches and reggae-themed boat parties, was seized by U.S. Marshalls to help settle the company's $1.3 million debt; a hearing in Bankruptcy Court is scheduled for this morning.

May 23

A triple shooting outside of a Citgo station in the Southwest killed a teenage victim; also more details on the 11 shootings of the past two days, including the Mt. Royal sextuple.

The governor wants to change arrest procedures in the city, cutting out the step of having prosecutors review cases. Said he, "Prosecutorial discretion not to pursue a case is often confused with an alleged absence of probable cause, which is then spun as a supposed false arrest."

Judge John Prevas sentenced Charles Patterson, 27, of the 600 block of N. Woodington Road to 15 years in prison today for multiple counts of robbery. On March 21, 2007, a Baltimore City jury convicted Patterson and Antwan Smith, 23, of the 6800 block of Lenbern Road of three counts of Robbery with a Dangerous or Deadly Weapon and one count of Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous or Deadly Weapon. They were also acquitted of the murder of Anthony Heck, probably because Heck was found with a loaded gun in his hand. On May 3 Smith was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in these crimes. The story:

On October 23, 2005, the defendants robbed or attempted to rob Lamar Davis, James Anderson, Charlotte Johnson, and Tycara Johnson in the area of 4100 block of Cleve Court of the Brooklyn Homes in South Baltimore, Maryland. During this robbery spree, Anthony Heck came upon the defendants and shot at them from a distance. Antwan Smith allegedly returned fire, hitting and causing the death of Heck.

Judge Robert Kershaw sentenced Edwin Wright, 25, to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole following a conviction for cocaine possession and possession with intent to distribute. Details:

On May 6, 2006, at approximately 8:40 PM, a police officer was in a covert location, using binoculars, with a clear and unobstructed view of the 1100 block of Preston Street. At that time the officer observed an unknown male approach Wright, speaking briefly with him. The conversation ended with the unknown male handing Wright U.S. currency in bill form. Wright then reached down into his right front sock and pulled out a vial containing a white substance suspected cocaine, and handed it to the male who then left the area. Search incident to arrest of Wright revealed five vials of cocaine in his right sock. At the time of this incident Wright was on probation for two other felony drug cases. Additionally, Wright is pending a second degree assault case from an October 6, 2006 incident in which he allegedly punched a police officer several times in the face during a traffic stop. Wright has an extensive violence arrest record and therefore the State asked for this enhanced penalty.

WTF? WBAL reports "two dead, 11 injured in mulitple shootings, stabbings," including:

• a man who died after being shot in the head on East 21st Street;


• a six-year-old boy caught in crossfire and shot in the ankle on West Mosher Street and Pennsylvania Avenue close to Bolton Hill;


• The woman was shot in the stomach on Roland View Avenue;


• Four shooting victims were found along Mount Royal Avenue in two separate areas and two more victims at the Mount Royal and St. Paul Street gas station


• A man shot in the wrist and arm in the 300 block of Eutaw Street around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday;

and
• three people were stabbed in the 600 block of Water Street around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

A double-shooting in the 2300 block of East Fayette outside the Morning Edition Cafe, "At Least 1 Dead."

Curran's cry for help is dead in the water.

The Ink.

Dick Irwin's got thieves galore.

HoCo police have arrested Charles David Richardson, 23, for two shootings in Columbia this month.

AAC: Two men were shotgunned while walking along Elvaton Road in Glen Burnie.

Can the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant revive the apathetic masses?

Towson OB David C. McCarus agreed to repay $300k to the government to settle his billing-fraud case.

Perverterium:
The DOJ called the case against Patrick Bogan of Edgewood "one of the most significant child pornography cases ever prosecuted in Maryland due to the sheer volume of child pornography possessed by the defendant." The gymnastics instructor had 800 videotapes, a hard-drive with alphabetized and categorized folders, 21 pairs of girls' underpants, a storage locker... anyway, Bogan has pled guilty.

Jury selection began today in HoCo for the trial of Baltimore County pastor Gerald Fitroy Griffith, accused of engaging in sexual acts with a teenage parishioner (gender unknown) in Columbia hotels in 2004 and 2005.

Loitering around a snowball stand has cost "the Roland Park perv" Kenneth Barnes his freedom. Well fer Pete's sake, is not the pursuit of happiness a fundamental right promised by our nation's own Declaration of Independence?

May 22

19-year-old Tray Allen was found dead in a Columbia townhouse yesterday afternoon, in what may be HoCo's third homicide of the year.

Morgan State shooting "victim" David Briggs was arrested for lying to the police.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with shooting three people outside a Frederick County community center on Saturday.

Perv du jour: A Yellow Cab driver allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl who was riding in his cab. Oh wait, whoops, never mind!

Homeless pervs du jour: Missing sex offenders Ronald Roland Ellison and Thomas Joseph Gauthier are both in police custody.

Payton Potochney continues his recovery after being burned by acid that was poured on a slide.

In the Blotter: a 37-year-old man was hit in the face with a brick while gassing up his scooter, and a 49-year-old woman was knocked to the ground by thieves who stole her car.

Beware of groups of young Edgewood men bearing BB guns and knives.

Kudos to BPD officer Anthony Jobst for capturing a repeat burglar.

A blurry white dude is wanted for repeatedly robbing convenience stores in Baltimore County.

Robert Curran withdrew his request for partial martial crime time.

DOJ to Baltimore City: No more craptastic youth detention facilities.

JHU student financial services director Ellen Frishberg has resigned amidst allegations of some sketchy financial favors from student loan companies.

I hope you've taken your blood-pressure meds today and have the puke bucket handy, Galt ...

The city has a $19 million budget surplus, and not a plug nickel will go towards staffing or supporting the police department... or for that matter anything that could even vaguely be construed as helpful (other than maybe the 3% allotted to help feed the homeless)
Instead of ---> It's
Picking up litter --> billboards against litter
Alleviating pain --> painfully shiteous public art
Education for our kids --> a fountain with "five rows of jets and lights" for kids to run through
Attempting to determine how more than 1,000+ potential crime victims died --> erecting statue "honoring" long-dead mayor

If you feel the need to complain to your city councilperson about this obscene waste of your money, you can find out who they are at this site.

Reader Letter

Hi, I live in Canton on the corner of Ellwood and O'donnell. Around 2 in the morning this past Saturday a drunk person in a van hit a pedestrian and then hit 2 or 3 cars and sped off. A lot of police and ambulance came immediately and I couldnt see if the victim was really hurt... because they whisked him away so fast. Do you know anything on this story?

I don't. Any readers know about this?

May 21

On Friday the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Nicholas Brunson, 20, of the 2600 block of W. Cold Spring Lane on charges of first-degree murder, deadly weapon and first-degree arson. Court documents allege on April 12, 2007 Nicholas Brunson was identified as the suspect in the murder and arson incident. The body of an unknown male, later identified as 16-year-old Brent Flanagan, was found beaten, stabbed and body partially dismembered in a house fire in the 2600 block of W. Cold Spring Lane. It is alleged the two had an altercation during the morning hours that later escalated to the incident. It is also alleged both Flanagan and Brunson are "Bloods" gang members.

A 16-year-old girl is being sought for stabbing another girl in the gut on E. Chase Street, a dognapping, a carjacking and an attempted murder arrest in the Blotter.

Alvin Parson died nine days after he was run down by a van driven by two men with whom he was arguing.

The end of an era: beaten, stabbed socialist A. Robert Kaufman is moving out of Walbrook to a condo complex with a pool.

Examiner: "High police overtime doesn't surprise O'Malley"
Meanwhile "brutal" Detective Albert "Mad Dog" Marcus claimed incredible 3,695 overtime hours last year, the equivalent of working 18-22 hours a day.
Says Hamm, "Publishing the names and salaries of every member of the Baltimore Police Department — as The Examiner did two days ago — is perhaps the most irresponsible, ill-informed and mean-spirited act that I have ever known a news organization to commit," and accuses the paper of compromising "dozens of undercover officers."

AAC kids steal car, crash it into house.

Three AAC twentysomethings, Thomas Sparacino, Randy Garner and Brittney Pheobus, were arrested for a drive-by shooting in Friendship (the intended victim wasn't hurt). When police went to arrest the trio they also found firearms, including an assault rifle, and child pornography.

Marilyn St. Louis Walkes apparently thought "taking care of a developmentally disabled woman" meant stealing her money.

Baltimore County thieves are breaking into garages and stealing dirt bikes.

Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant wants murderers and gang members to stop sinning.

Three people were shot outside a community center in Frederick County.

Eazy-E Op-Ed: "no one [in city government] understands the real needs of each [city] department. It allows lazy planning and makes it easy to hide waste and fraud."

An autopsy will be performed on a Chesapeake Bay floater found by a boater, and JZ illustrates the story with a visual of ... the shadow of a giant gingerbread man looming over a mountain, of course!

May 20

Two incidents or one? Either way Wednesday Last week was extra-bad at Jessup: a basketball-court shanking and a prisoner fight that injured six correctional officers.

Word: Bernard Kerik, former NYC commissioner, on the Curran Baltimore curfew proposal: "I really don't know what happened between the time that Eddie Norris was commissioner and what's happening today ... take it back to crime-fighting mechanisms and let [police] do their job."

NYker: in spite of what's on CSI, hair and fiber analysis is so inaccurate as to be worse-than-useless.

Your man Rodericks: "O'Malley's veto a big setback to drug reform"

Atlanta lawyer Manny Arora defended Ray Ray, able to communicate on athlete's level, "whatever it is."
And congrats to all the new law school grads-- now get to work!

May 19

Apparently, nobody told some bad people from "Baltimore B" that they're not supposed to commit crimes against good people from "Baltimore A."

Three teenage boys robbed a 60-year-old man of $15.50.

Police were called to the old Relax Inn (now the Red Carpet Inn) on Reisterstown Rd. 120 times in 2005 and about 100 times in 2006.

Somebody stole two guns from a member of the Frederick SWAT team.

Evening

Maurice A. Johnson, 29, was shot to death in Randallstown.

Lawyers for the killer of correctional officer Jeffery A. Wroten plan to argue that the death penalty isn't legal because of MD's effed-up execution instructions.

What the?! Two Morgan State University students persuaded a friend to shoot them with a .38 "because they hoped to avoid pledging a fraternity this summer," even though they didn't have the GPA to pledge anyway. Huh? Wha? And it gets weirder: they're from out of state and "wanted to stay in Baltimore for the summer." (They must be from Camden!)

More than 12 years for PGC coke dealer Richard D. Briscoe, and RJR's got plenty of time for his gun-toting crack-dealing pals as well.

County police are ISO two homeless sex offenders, Ronald Ellison, 28, and Thomas Gauthier, 27.
If you're wondering what the degrees of sex offense are, here's a handy chart.

More school threats: this time a letter threatening to harm students was sent to C. Milton Wright High School in Harford County.

AAC: Greg Karanzalis, an assistant coach for the Broadneck High School lacrosse team, was caught on tape buying alcohol for several students who got so soused after school that they needed to be hospitalized.

White-Collar Corner
Perps 12 and 13, Stephen Weissenberger of Towson and Ashita Patel of Columbia, were indicted on theft and bribery charges for defrauding our school system.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition has filed a lawsuit against NovaStar Mortgage, accusing them of discrimination for refusing to offer mortgages on rowhouses in downtown Baltimore (among other places).

Mark Kaiser of U.S. Foodservice got seven federal years for an $800-million accounting fraud.

Patrick McDevitt of Timonium is headed to the can for 2 1/2 years after submitting false expense claims to his employer. He bought at least a dozen Rolex watches (and no doubt other tacky crap), but the jig was up after he commited eBay fraud.

Ellicott City art-gallery owner Thomas Hugh Akins, 52, pled guilty to wire fraud for an art-based investment scheme that screwed some more-money-than-brains "affluent acquaintances" out of $1.2 million.

May 18

El Janis: "Hamm admits to police overtime abuse"

Robert Perlie, 16, was ID'd as the victim who died at 2:36 yesterday morning of a gunshot wound to the head on the 200 block of N. Dallas Court.

Blotterania:
Carroll Hugh Bell, 51, of Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday by Philadelphia police and charged with the 1990 rape and murder of Beverly Dixon.
Puzzling sentence o the day: "A man was reported in good condition at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after he was shot in the face"
A 19-year-old was shot in the arm on E. 27th street
and what is the deal with gunmen yelling "kick it out"?

"A 28-year-old man was seriously wounded in a shooting early this morning near the corner of Greenmount Avenue and East 29th Street, Baltimore police said."

More on the Jemini Jones conviction.

The gov. vetoed two crime-related bills Wednesday: the drug-dealer parole thing and also one that would let the police sell guns back to manufacturers.

PGC women are advised to gird their loins "after two recent sexual assaults and an armed robbery occurred within days and a few miles of each other."

Night

From the SA's office:

• A Baltimore City jury convicted Ronald Sparkman, 21, of the 1500 block of E. Madison St., of three counts of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence today following two days of testimony and more than four hours of deliberations. Sparkman faces a maximum possible prison term of life plus 20 years in prison when sentenced by Judge M. Brooke Murdock July 3, 2007. Details:

  On January 14, 2005 at approximately 10PM officers were called to the 1600 block of E. Madison St. for a serious shooting. The victim, Ralph “West” Pritchett, was found lying face down in the street. He died at Johns Hopkins Hospital which was a few blocks away. The investigation revealed that Ronald Sparkman shot the victim five times in the back over a drug dispute. The trial lasted two days and the jury deliberated approximately 4 hours before reaching its guilty verdict. Sparkman remains held without bail at the Baltimore City Detention Center. Assistant State's Attorney Brian M. Fish prosecuted the case.



• In a hearing today Judge John Carroll Byrnes found Jemini Jones, 29, of the 4700 block of Ivanhoe Avenue, guilty of wear/carry/transport a handgun in a vehicle and fleeing and eluding police after a statement of facts was placed on the record by the prosecutor. Judge Byrnes sentenced Jones to a three year suspended prison term and three years probation for the handgun count and a concurrent one year suspended prison term, three years probation and a $1,000 fine for the fleeing and eluding count. Details:

  On October 1, 2006 Jones ran a red light at the intersection of East 33rd St. and Frisby St. Police attempted to stop the vehicle Jones was driving. The vehicle did not stop. Police followed the vehicle at a high rate of speed and it eventually stopped in an alley off the 800 block of East 34th St. Police recovered a handgun from the vehicle. Jones' right to carry a handgun had been suspended. Assistant State's Attorney Doug Ludwig, Chief of the Firearms Investigation Violence Enforcement (FIVE) Division, prosecuted this case.

• A Baltimore City jury convicted Gregory Kearney, 24, of the 2200 block of Homewood Avenue, May 14, 2007 of possession of a regulated firearm after a disqualifying conviction and handgun on person. Judge Joseph H.H. Kaplan sentenced Kearney to five years without parole for the first count and a concurrent three year prison term for the second count. The facts:

  On August 8, 2006 police officers were on patrol in the area of the 1700 block of Aisquith Street when they observed Gregory Kearney in the area. The police officers know the area to be one of high drug activity. People in the area alerted others to police presence including Gregory Kearney. Kearney started walking out of the area and was observed holding a small handgun by the police. Gregory Kearney then threw the handgun and started to run. Police officers recovered a .32 caliber revolver and arrested him. Assistant State's Attorney David M. Grzechowiak of the Firearms Investigation Violence Enforcement (FIVE) Division prosecuted this case.

May 17

Another murder early this morning in the Dunbar-Broadway neighborhood in East Baltimore, and last night's murder victim was ID'd as Earl Sonny Cornish III.

Wow, a teeny fleck of hope ... City Council Vice President Robert W. Curran is trying to stop the killing with a bill that calls for "heightened police enforcement" in "declared emergency areas," a proposal based on Philadelphia's successful plan.
The mayor's response was "lukewarm."

SA's office: Police Officer Jemini Jones is being qualified to plea (as in, agreeing to certain facts presented to the Court by the State, asserting that his plea is both knowing and voluntary and that he knows his rights, right to trial, right to confront etc.) on the handgun violation indictment.

In Baltimore County, three people were shot outside of Coco's Bar and Grill early this morning, and one man was shot in the first block of Dundalk Ave. In recent city shootings, a man was shot on Wednesday morning while cutting through the Clifton Park golf course, and a 43-year-old man was shot in the Southeastern "for no apparent reason."

Two homicide ID's in the Blotter, one erroneous (second link above): 30-year-old Nathaniel Hicks was killed on Monday morning in the 2500 block of Garrett Ave., and 19-year-old Deandre Salmond (not "Almond") was fatally shot in the head in the 500 block of S. Smallwood St. on Tuesday night.

Howard High School counselor Alan Silberman was arrested and charged after HoCo police found crack in his car.

The Wachovia Bank on Merritt Ave. in Dundalk was robbed by a man who stuck his hand in his shirt. Police are seeking a mustachioed white man with a penchant for colorful stripes.

The house where Antown Arthur, Nathan Gulliver, and Steven Matthews were murdered in 2005 caught on fire on Tuesday.

Gross incompetence at the Maryland Division of Corrections led to alleged murderer James Burton's release and subsequent re-arrest on "escape" charges.

It took less than four hours for a BaltCo jury to sentence Gaumer to life in prison.

The death of Rey Rivera remains a mystery.

A vandal in Parkville seems to think that racism = peace.

Crime tip of the day: If you get hit with paying a customer $17,000 that you stole from him, don't try to get the money by threatening your local bank manager.

Crime tip of the day, #2: If you're going to flee the scene of an accident, make sure your license plate number isn't embedded in the filth of the car that you hit.

The demolition of 30 apartment buildings in Hillbilly Heights began this morning.

Evening

A not-yet-ID'd man was shot to death on York Road and Chateau Avenue.

Deander Salmond, 19, died after being shot in the Southwestern Tuesday night.

The jury has sentenced John Gaumer to life in prison.

Inventor Paul Biermann at Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory in HoCo is trying to invent shank-proof prison toiletries.

(Alleged) perv of the day: Patrick McIntyre, a seventh-grade science teacher at Immaculate Conception School, removed from his job following allegations that he sexually abused a male student in the late 1970s.

Media Corner:
Staffers rallied on Calvert Street today to "Save our Sun!"
Quoted copy editor: "We’re working hard to bring readers the best news we can ... But the more they drain our staff of talent, the less of a good job we’ll be able to do.”
The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild today began attempts to negotiate a new contract with management, and has also hired a PR firm to "represent its viewpoint to the media."

Sixty Years (Again) for Alleged Child-Killer Erik Stoddard

From the SA's office (edited for style):

Today Judge Allen L. Schwait sentenced Erik Stoddard, 26, of the 2500 block of Moore Avenue, to 60 years in prison; 30 years for second degree murder and 30 years for child abuse resulting in death with the terms to run consecutively. Judge Schwait sentenced Stoddard after denying a defense motion for a new trial for the March 9, 2007 second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death conviction.

A Baltimore City jury convicted Stoddard March 13, 2003 of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for the death of Calen Faith Dirubbo, age three, and Stoddard began serving a 60-year prison term. On December 8, 2005 the Maryland Court of Appeals vacated Stoddard's conviction, citing evidentiary issues regarding hearsay testimony. The mother of an 18-month-old child who witnessed the murder testified how the surviving child now acts and that the child asked, "Is Erik going to get me?" These statements were not used by prosecutors in the second trial.

On June 15, 2002 Dirubbo was pronounced dead at her home, where she lived with her mother and Stoddard. Dirubbo died as a result of multiple beatings over a period of at least a month; the fatal blow occurred June 15, 2002 and severed her bowel. The State proved through detailed medical evidence that Stoddard was the only person who had custody of Dirubbo when the fatal blow occurred.

Defense counsel argued the trial court erred by not asking a requested voir dire question as to whether any member of the jury panel was prejudiced against the defendant based on his race. The defendant, all State's witnesses, all lawyers in the case and the judge were white. The jury consisted of both whites and African-Americans.

After lengthy oral argument, during which the defendant was briefly removed from the courtroom due to his inappropriate behavior, Judge Schwait denied the motion and proceed to sentencing.

The maternal grandmother and aunt of victim Calen Dirubbo gave victim impact statements. The grandmother described to Judge Schwait

"the pain and anguish of ...knowing Calen suffered and died alone...her right to life brutally taken from her... robbing the family of watching her grow....creating a severe strain on family." She spoke of the defendant's violent behavior as "doling out destruction and pain...assaulting numerous women and finally murdering my three-year old granddaughter," and said Erik “has a human deficiency....no compassion, conscience or remorse.”

The maternal aunt of Calen stated,

"the pain and grief is immeasurable...daily I struggle with the pain and destruction left behind.... I am haunted by the 'wonders'...I wonder what she would look like now...wonder what kind of child would she be today?"

A letter submitted to the Judge by the brother of Calen stated

"I remember Erik slamming us against the wall...when he gave us a bath dunking us under the water....I wish Erik would be in jail forever."

While rendering his sentence, Judge Schwait stated, in part, that "he wished he could give the defendant more time." Stoddard concluded his remarks by expressing the belief that his convictions would be overturned (again), and said to the family of the victim "see you in a couple years."

A Baltimore City jury convicted Stoddard March 9, 2007 of second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, second degree assault and first and second degree child abuse resulting in death. Prosecutors proceeded with a new trial after the Court of Appeals vacated Stoddard's 2003 conviction.